Grilled Steak Salad with Grilled Stuffed Portobellos

I'm busted for promising you the remaining ice cream recipes and not delivering ASAP. The draft is almost done, so rest assured that you'll see them soon. But to tide you over, I've got another quick and scrumptious weeknight dinner for you to try.

This salad is my imitation of my favorite salad at a local restaurant, Pluto's. All you do is throw in some big rings of red onion, some flavor-packed croutons, Roma tomato slices, banana pepper rings, and dress it with a balsamic vinaigrette. (I love Newman's Own light balsamic). Then top with slices of grilled steak. Season the beef well, then allow to sit for a few minutes before putting it on the HOT grill. It only takes a few minutes on each side to get it to medium, depending on the thickness of the cut. (Refer to the temp chart below if you have a meat thermometer.) Then remember to let it rest for a few minutes before you cut into it, giving the meat time to retain all its juices, rather than spilling out when you cut right into it.

Beef Temperature Chart
Rare: 120-125
Medium-rare: 130-135
Medium: 140-145
Medium-well: 150-155
Well: 155-160
Ground Beef: 160











Now for the Stuffed Portobellos! This great recipe from myrecipes.com would make a fabulous appetizer for a party—very elegant, yet deceptively simple. My photo isn't nearly as pretty as theirs, so I've included it to give you a better idea of what these babies look like.

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2/3 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh or 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 (5-inch) portobello mushroom caps
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley for garnish

1. Combine the tomato, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon oil, rosemary, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl.
2. Remove and discard the brown gills from the undersides of the mushroom caps, as well as the stems.
   
3. Combine 1/2 teaspoon oil, juice, and soy sauce in a small bowl, and brush over both sides of mushroom caps.
   
4. Place the mushroom caps, stem sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 5 minutes on each side or until soft.
5. Spoon 1/4 cup tomato mixture into each mushroom cap. Cover and grill 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.

Cookies 'N Cream, Raspberry, and Cheesecake Ice Cream

Cookies 'N Cream is an easy adaptation of the basic vanilla recipe I posted below. Just add broken up Oreos in the last 5 minutes of freezing and you're good to go! My Oreos were reduced fat, and I don't think anyone would have guessed it...so I definitely recommend it. (Especially considering how killer Oreos are in the first place!)


To make raspberry ice cream, macerate two small containers of raspberries in 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Let sit while the ice cream churns, and add to the ice cream in the last 5 minutes of freezing.


Cheesecake Ice Cream
From the lovely Cafe Johnsonia

1 8-ounce bar cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
pinch of salt

Beat the cream cheese to remove any lumps. Slowly add the sweetened condensed milk while beating. Continue beating until no lumps remain. Add the extracts, fresh lemon juice, and salt. Beat until combined. Slowly add the cream and continue beating until the mixture begins to thicken—not quite to the point of whipped cream, but almost. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Please hop over to Cafe Johnsonia for all kinds of amazing custard recipes and tutorials, complete with step-by-step photos. This girl is the ice cream queen!

Tyler's Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs

Don't worry, the other ice cream recipes are coming. But for now I couldn't resist posting this.

Tyler's Ultimate is pretty much the best show on the Food Network. What do you guys think? I like him because he's upbeat, cool (wow, am I in seventh grade or what?), and his food always looks to-die-for! I recently tried his Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs, and I was NOT disappointed.


First off, I've never had a lot of luck with homemade red sauces. (BTW, if any of you know of a great recipe, do share! It's a skill I'm determined to master.) But at long last, I made a successful red sauce thanks to Tyler's pomodoro sauce featured in this recipe. It's a tad different than a traditional marinara, but if you ask me, it's spoon-lickin' good.

Second, this recipe cannot be classified as an easy weeknight meal. It's more of a romantic-dinner-for-two type recipe. It can be made in an hour, but it's a rather intense hour, since you'll have several things going on at once. (I had to stick Baby T in his high chair and bribe him with Ritz crackers to keep him from pawing at my legs the whole hour. Good news—it worked!)

With that said, let's dive in!


Pomodoro Sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand, liquid reserved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully add the tomatoes (they may spatter) and about 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. (*I added a dash of dried basil and oregano at this point.) Bring to a boil, stirring for a few minutes with a wooden spoon to further break up the tomatoes. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil and season again.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
1 pound spaghetti
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup milk
4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups heated Pomodoro Sauce, recipe follows, or good quality jarred tomato sauce
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks
A few sprigs fresh basil for garnish

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten, and let it soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread, and add the bread to the bowl. Also add the cooled onion mixture. Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Shape into 10 meatballs. (*Or more depending on your size preference)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a 3-count of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes. Place them in a baking dish and spoon about half of the Pomodoro sauce over. Shower with the mozzarella. Put the meatballs in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and put it onto a large serving platter. Pour on the rest of the sauce and mix well. Spoon the meatballs on top of the spaghetti and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately, with extra Parmesan cheese.



I'm guessing most of you won't need meatballs galore like this recipe makes. I would halve or even quarter the meatball recipe, but do make the full sauce recipe. The more sauce, the better, right?

I hope whoever you make this for is impressed with your culinary prowess. :) Enjoy!

*Need to use up that extra fresh basil and parmesan? Try this bruschetta recipe on allrecipes.com.

Ice Cream: Vanilla and Peach

Fun, fun! Here are the photos I promised of Saturday's gelato bar:



Next, meet my ice cream maker, the Cusinart ICE-20. This was one of my very favorite wedding gifts.

Now, start with a basic vanilla ice cream recipe. From here, you can add just about anything (fruit candy, etc.) in the last five minutes of freezing in your ice cream maker. The below recipe makes ten 1/2-cup servings.

Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk, well chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 – 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, to taste

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 – 2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. (Mine takes about 25 minutes.)

Peach Ice Cream (pictured in the previous post)
6 ripe peaches
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract, divided

Peel the peaches and cut into bite-sized pieces. Combine peaches, lemon juice, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until peaches are tender and juices have thickened slightly.

Puree half of this mixture in a blender or food processor. Follow the instructions for the Vanilla Ice Cream above. Add the pureed peach mixture when you place the cream mixture into the ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Add the remaining peaches (that were not pureed) for the last five minutes of freezing in your ice cream maker.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Red Raspberry, Cheesecake, Cookies & Creme, and Vanilla with Peanut Butter Swirl!

Gelato Bar!

Last week was the best week ever. I made ice cream every day of the week. I was in heavy cream heaven!

Lest you lose faith in me as a (relatively) health-conscious food blogger, I had a good reason for making so much ice cream—a baby shower. I was in charge of the food and decided to do a "gelato bar" for desert. We had cute toppings and five different kinds of ice cream, frozen in bread pans to resemble a gelato shop. More photos and 5 fun recipes coming soon...!

Jack's Prime

I've got a restaurant recommendation for all you locals. Jack's Prime. It's a hamburger joint on El Camino in San Mateo, CA. After our first bite, Hubby and I both looked up at each other and instantly agreed that their burgers are loaded with flavor. The diner has an authentic feel, completely casual and understated. And it's the kind of place where the owner comes out to say hello and ask you how you liked your meal. But watch out—it's packed on Friday nights! Guess that's how you know it's good!

photo from jacksprime.com

I'm sure you've noticed by now that we're spice lovers, so we recommend the Phoenix burger. If you've ever been to Jack's Prime or if you go in the near future, let me know what you think!

Happy dining!

Cauliflower Mac 'N Cheese

The other day I saw a clip of The View where Tyler Florence (my favorite chef from the Food Network) was trying to convince Whoopi (by far my least favorite co-host) to eat a vegetable. He made mac n' cheese with cauliflower puree, and I knew I had to try it. Although I'm often tempted when I see a good recipe, I never make homemade mac n' cheese because I know it's not the healthiest choice. My husband, in particular, shies away from anything that looks too creamy. (Except cream cheese frosting, of course!)

So—replace some of the cream with cauliflower puree? Tyler, you had me at hello.
In the end, though, I've gotta be honest—I'm not sure I'd make it again. However, if you're a big mac 'n cheese fan, I do think you should give it a try. It is a pretty darn decent replacement, and when it comes to fat and calories, it's a far better alternative. If I hadn't known it was cauliflower puree, I don't know that I'd have noticed.

But since I wasn't a huge mac 'n cheese fan before this recipe came along, I don't think I'll be adding it to my dinner rotation. :)

But hey, that's why I say this blog is to share my adventures in the kitchen! Not everything you try can turn into a regular. But trying lots of recipes definitely guarantees that your dinner rotation will grow.

Anyway, have a great weekend, everybody! Thanks so much for reading.

Eatsa Pizza :)

I love making pizza. It's an art. Granted, it's an art I'm still perfecting, but I'm getting closer every time I make it.

I've made about three other dough recipes lately, to see how the others fare against my tried-and-true. Three points for tried-and-true. I loooove this recipe. It's easy and only takes about 20 minutes altogether, which is a huge plus. But it also makes fabulous crust, with just the right texture in my book. Did I say I love this recipe??


Dough
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Add sugar, salt, and 2 1/2 ups flour. Mix to form dough.
3. Add more flour (up to a 1/2 cup) if needed to pull together. Mix about 3 minutes.
4. Let rest for 10 minutes in bowl.
5. Let it rest for another 10 minutes after you've rolled it out.


Since I'm always improving my pizza-making skills, here are some of my latest tips. Refer to previous pizza post for more. (These assume that you've already been converted to the pizza stone.)

• Preheat the oven for a good while. Get your oven HOT. I've been a too timid to crank my oven up to 450, but tonight I ventured to 435 and liked it better than normal. If it's good and hot, I think it crisps the very bottom of the crust without over-cooking the rest of it, meaning that the inside of the crust (as in, right below the sauce) can still be tender.
• Cornmeal makes a huge difference. (Refer to the last paragraph of my previous pizza post.)
• To jazz up the dough recipe, throw in some Italian spices, like oregano, basil or rosemary. It tastes delicious and makes the crust even prettier.
  

That's it for now. I'm sure I'll come up with more another time. Good luck with your pizza-making endeavors, and please let me know how it goes! I love to hear about what you're doing in your kitchen!


The little guy was a big fan. :)

"Victory!"

Deli Roast Beef with Pesto & Havarti Cheese

I'm sorry, friends. I've been a bad food blogger lately. Why, you ask? Because I am in a food rut! I'm just not coming up with many new and tasty ideas, probably because for who-knows-why nothing sounds good lately! Not chicken, not beef, not much of anything. You'd think I was pregnant! (which I'm not!)

Anyway, I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon and be back to my normal nonstop baking, food blog prowling self.

For today, let me share with you what HAS sounded good lately. I'm pretty much obsessed with these sandwiches. I eat one for lunch every day.


The way I see it, you can't live in the Bay area without loving sourdough bread. I hadn't developed much of a taste for it before living here, but I have since grown to be quite fond of it. :) This sandwich was inspired by a sandwich I had at the Boudin Bakery once with my friend Amber and our kiddos. So glad I can make this version at home!!!

Here goes...

Deli Roast Beef with Pesto & Havarti Cheese
2 slices sourdough bread
1-2 thin slices of deli roast beef
1 teaspoon pesto, slathered onto bread
2 tomato slices
1 slice Havarti cheese (or whatever you have on hand!)
freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt

FYI, I use San Luis Sourdough Cracked Wheat bread (2 grams of fiber per slice), which I've found at Piazza's and Trader Joes.

Hope you enjoy this simple sandwich as much as I do! And hopefully it won't spoil you for all other foods, as it seems to have temporarily done for me...

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

A few nights a week we eat vegetarian dinners. I wish I could claim that it was entirely for health reasons. (You know, eat red meat sparingly...) While that is a factor, our main reason is because we're cheap! For us, this recipe works as a main dish, packed with both veggies and flavor. But it also makes an excellent side dish, paired with flank steak or grilled chicken.
Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
1 zucchini, sliced into half-inch pieces
1 small butternut squash, cubed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 yukon gold potatoes
1 red onion, quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (Last night I subbed the fresh thyme for 1 tsp. dried)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and herbs. Add fresh ground pepper and sea salt.
   
2. Toss the vegetables with the dressing, and let sit for about 10 minutes.
   Spread onto a large baking sheet.
3. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in a 450 degree oven.
   

(Before going into the oven)

Broccoli Raisin Salad

I can thank BYU's cooking class for this recipe. (Man I loved that class.) It's full of varied flavors—broccoli, raisins, walnuts, bacon pieces—with a tangy sweet dressing. To me it's the quintessential bridal/baby shower salad. :)
Broccoli Rasin Salad
Serves 6

1 large head briccoli, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup chopped onion (I use red for color)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 pound bacon, crisped and crumbled (I use 4 slices)

Dressing:
3/4 cup low-fat mayo
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

Whisk together the mayo, vinegar, and sugar for the dressing. In a large bowl, pour dressing over salad ingredients and combine well. Refrigerate for a few hours (or even overnight) to soften the broccoli.

**I only make half the dressing recipe, and I think that is just enough for one head of broccoli.

Lemon Sugar Crusted Blueberry Muffins

While I was at my mom's in Utah, I had a lemon blueberry muffin from Costco. Naturally, since it was from Costco, it was amazing. That's why I was so struck by this recipe when I saw it on Melanie's blog, My Kitchen Cafe.
And yes, it's a keeper. Next time I think I'll try subbing a couple tablespoons of applesauce for butter, and I'd like to add either some lemon zest or lemon extract straight to the batter. Nonetheless, it's perfect as is, too.

Since the recipe is a bit involved and Melanie explains each step so darn well, I'm just going to send you straight HERE for the recipe.

Need to use up your leftover buttermilk? Try this wonderful buttermilk banana bread (also from Melanie!) and these delightful whole wheat pancakes.

Quick Teriyaki Chicken

It's the middle of the week, everyone. That means it's halfway over! Last night for dinner we had a simple teriyaki chicken that I thought I should share with you. Remember this lovely recipe for sesame chicken? (Oh man I love that recipe.) This is the weeknight version—same sauce, same veggies (well, whatever you have in the fridge, really), just a different cooking method for the chicken. Rather than take the time to fry it, and to spare some calories at the same time, I like to grill or saute the chicken for a quick but delicious weeknight dinner.
Last night I seasoned the chicken with S&P, slathered the chicken with the sauce, grilled for a few minutes on each side, and sliced it into strips to serve.

Secondly, I wouldn't be a good food blogger if I didn't post discoveries like this one. Trader Joe's frozen brown rice is amazing!! I hate cooking rice for some many reasons...Half the time I forget to start the slow-cooking rice only to remember right before dinner is ready. Then I have to opt for minute rice, which I don't think tastes as good—especially in brown rice. But this option is foolproof. All you do is take a bag of it out of the freezer and microwave it for 3 minutes. That's it! Plus the texture of the brown rice is perfect, not grainy at all.

Well, have a great week, friends! Let me know if you have any questions.

Skinny Cows

I'm back from The World's Best Family Vacation and am getting ready to tackle some new recipes. Until then, have you tried the Skinny Cow products? They come Oprah- and Erica-recommended (who else's recommendation could you possibly need??) and are as tasty as their full-fat competitors.
Mmmm... The ice cream bars come in vanilla (Ryan's favorite), mint (my favorite), chocolate, peanut butter, and even strawberry shortcake. So next time your sweet tooth starts calling, reach for one of these babies instead.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Take 2)

Remember when I promised you'd be seeing more chocolate chip cookie recipes in the future? Well, today's the day. I described the last recipe I shared as thick and chewy. These ones, on the other hand, spread a bit thinner when you bake them, leaving you with slightly crispy edges and soft centers.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Take 2)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat to 350.
2. Cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with the salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and walnuts (if using). Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove immediately and cool on a wire rack.

With the millions of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, I have a feeling I'll still post more down the road... So stay tuned! :)

Fettucini with Parmesan and Cremini Mushrooms

I made this quick and easy pasta dish tonight and thought I'd toss it up here as another weeknight meal idea. Have you discovered cremini mushrooms? I'm just branching out into the mushroom world, and I've got to say, creminis blow regular old white mushrooms out of the water! (er, forest floor?) Anyway, the combination of fresh basil, nutty parmesan cheese, and satueed cremini mushrooms really makes this easy dish a winner.

Simple instructions:

1. Cook whole wheat fettucini according to package directions.
2. Saute some cremini mushrooms in a frying pan with some olive oil. (Remember that the mushrooms will shrink down, so start with a bit more than you think you'll need.) After sauteing, generously season with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. (The regular stuff works too. :)
   
3. Slice basil into strips.
4. Combine pasta (no need to rinse), basil, mushrooms, and add parmesan cheese (1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on how much pasta you're making). Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Serve warm.
   

Next time I make this I'm going to add asparagus and cherry tomatoes. As with any pasta...at least in my opinion...keep the veggie-to-pasta ratio heavy on the veggies.